Cernunnos MCC - Photograph Gallery - GPO Rally 2001 Review
GPO Rally, 5th - 7th October 2001
Milton Keynes, England
Just ten miles away from, and a fortnight after our own simple Mabon trad rally was the very different Barrel Bikers's 21st GPO Rally, with loads of things going on. A nice contrast. There were three bands, a jolly good catering tent selling cakes, bread pudding and other stuff, and on Saturday loads of games. There were three Cernunnos members on site, and we won four games.
In the tandem race, I sat up the front and steered, while Highlander pedalled at the back. The tandem was set up to fit long legged, 6 ft 4 inch owner Biggles, while I am six inches shorter and have short legs. We set the first time of 35 seconds, and all the other teams took over a minute.
One leg
In the pillow fight I was through to the semi final. It was a very even match and we stood on the crates battering each other for ages, until games master Graham Daniels made us stand on one leg. I won my place in the final, where my opponent was not, I admit, in a competitive mood and it was an easy victory.
In drum racing you stand on small cable drums and pull them up with wire loops as you walk, as if on stilts. Steady does it, especially over the deep ruts, was the way to win. Rushing along means you walk right off the drums, and it takes ages to get going again. Another Cernunnos victory.
Drinking
Those of you who know Jamie will not be surprised to hear that he won the drinking competition. Our fourth win, and there was only three of us on site, as I told every Barrel Biker I knew. Jamie told me that he lost the eating competition by only a small margin. There must have been some stiff competition.
On the Friday night, Barrel Biker Lin Cox was in fine and happy form, chatted to me for ages and had to be guided back to her tent by her man Biggles. On Saturday afternoon she asked me if I'd been there on Friday night.
Bad influence
Lin had persuaded her friend and non-biker Helen to come to the rally. We might have been a bad influence on her but someone had got there before us. We were years too late.
About two o'clock on Sunday morning I was racing up and down the marquee against Biggles, who had cheated by not waiting for the go. On the home straight I was just about to overtake him when Big Pete came out of the wings, and in an amazing display of both rugby and football skills, tackled Biggles and tapped me on the ankle, and down we all went.
Look, the rest of the rally is a bit of a blur. Did I mention that there were only three Cernunnos on site and we won four games?
Roger Bradbury
